Welcome to Hyrule, Land of Danger and Mystery
by DaringFlame
Summary: Kat thinks she is a normal human girl, who likes video games and reading fanfiction but when she gets weird dreams of Hyrule and Link, she becomes part of Link's quest. Maybe she is not as normal as she thought. LinkXOC eventually
1. Chapter 1

Katalina Johnson or Kat as she preferred to be called was a normal teenager or at least she always thought she was. She loved/hated school depending on the work, loved playing video games, and reading fanfiction. Among her other hobbies, she loved archery and dancing. Her looks were pretty much average too, she wasn't too fat or too thin, just average in weight and in height at about 5'5". Her hair was dark brown with lighter natural highlights. Her eyes were a little unusual, most of the time they were the color of amber, but sometimes especially when she was happy, there would be flecks of green.

The day after she turned seventeen was the day everything changed and Kat would finally experience what she had only read about in fanfictions. Yes, she was thrown into a game, a game she hadn't played in years and hadn't even thought about, except in the occasional fanfictions she would read, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

"Hey Kat! Mi amiga, you're finally seventeen, joining the rest of us big girls!" Kat turned to see one of her best friends, Raina running up to her in the school hallway. She sidestepped quickly and her friend flew past arms wide. "Hey! I wanted to give you a hug." Raina turned around hands on her hips, her curly short brown hair bouncing from the sudden movement.

"Kill me more like at that speed. Yeah I can't believe I'm seventeen, takes forever for September to come and then school starts and its senior year. Well, maybe I can finally get away from the parents." Kat looked away toward the sky, no longer smiling. "They were arguing again today about money and me eventually going to college. They keep pushing me to go, but then they don't want to pay for it, but forget about that I want to tell you about a dream I've been having since the beginning of the month." The grin returned. "You'll enjoy this since you're into fanfiction. Remember how we even wrote one before putting ourselves into the game?"

"Yeah! That was a lot of fun. Too bad it won't ever actually happen."

"Well, I was with Zelda in that garden in the castle. I didn't even get a chance to do anything when Link came." She sighed. "He is such a cute little boy! It was so realistic, Zelda and Link were real people, not animated and I could even smell the flowers. After all the boring talk, Zelda introduces me as the Chosen One to aid Link on his quest to save Hyrule from Ganondorf. Link left to go on his quest for the spiritual stones alone and I would join him when the time is right. It was then that I woke up. Weird dream, huh?"

"Yeah I wonder what that means. Sounds like Ocarina of Time, but then you haven't played in years, you haven't even been reading or writing fanfiction recently so what s up with that?"

"I don't know, but I have to get to class right now. Maybe we could write a new story based off of it? Well I'll see ya later. Text me." Kat gave her friend a hug then ran off to class.

The rest of the day was normal, after school Kat went to work at the local movie theater, got home late at about eleven and after a quick shower, fell asleep.

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DaringFlame--Hey heres the new chapter I've been working on. I'm happier with this one especially since this way I could describe Katalina and since I'm really into details I can describe the other characters. Well Kat pretty much is how I look, but its not exactly a self-insertion, shes just based off of me. Well review and let me know what you think. I'm much faster when I have motivation and I'm looking to improve my writing so constructive criticism would be great. 


	2. Chapter 2

_A young Kat found herself once again in Hyrule, but this time standing before a closed drawbridge to the castle with a blond boy wearing a green tunic and hat. She was no longer wearing her pajamas, but had a tunic herself, a bright turquoise, her favorite color. _

"_Link, I feel like something is very wrong." Kat found herself saying before she felt it. A sudden feeling of dread washed over her and she knew something was going to happen._

"_Kat! Get out of the way!" Link grabbed her hand and pulled her from in front of the moat just as the drawbridge lowered and Kat heard the pounding of hooves. A beautiful, decorated, white horse appeared, its hooves echoed as it galloped across the bridge. Sitting astride was Zelda's guardian, Impa, and in front of her was Zelda. Zelda looked frightened as she looked back at Link, then threw something blue over her shoulder, where it landed in the moat. When Kat looked back to Zelda, she had disappeared from sight over a hill._

_A moment later, they heard yelling and the sound of another horse. A huge black horse emerged covered in dark armor as if going to war. Upon the horse was an equally intimidating man, dressed all in black with bright red hair._

"_Damn! Where did they go?!" The man shook his fist in anger, but then he noticed Link and Kat standing nearby. "Hey! Boy, did you see a horse go by?"_

_Link glared at the man. He let go of Kat's hand and pulled his sword from its scabbard. "No! Link!" Kat called to him, but was afraid to follow as he stood in front of the man, ignoring her pleas._

_The man grinned and charged with his horse._

"Link!" Kat woke up, gasping. "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind was coming from her cell phone. Quickly turning off the alarm, she thought about her dream. Link doesn't die, she reassured herself. It would have ruined the whole game. Besides he's only a character in a game. Despite that she still felt very close to him after her dream, especially when he held her hand like a big brother ready to protect her and she couldn't stop thinking about him throughout the school day.

"Kat! Yo, earth to Kat!" Raina waved her hand in front of Kat's face and Kat jumped.

"Oh, Raina, sorry I'm a little bit out of it today." She picked up her pen and stared at the blank page in front of her. Whenever she tried to think about the poem she was supposed to be writing her mind kept wandering off. Link's determined expression as the huge black horse charged him kept replaying.

"A little out of it. You're out of focus, jumpy, and completely clueless. Not just a little out of it." Raina grinned. "So spill." Raina then turned serious. "Was it another dream about Link?"

"..Yeah, but it was different this time. Remember the scene with Ganondorf chasing Zelda and Impa..?"

"Yeah and then she throws the ocarina into the moat for Link..."

"Well…" Kat proceeded to tell Raina about the rest of the dream and how she fit in.

"Man that's so weird. I wonder why you're having these dreams."

"I don't know…but they feel almost…like…memories, yet I'm having trouble remembering. Oh well, forget it. Help me with this poem. What are we supposed to be writing about again?" Raina opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else, but then looked at Kat's empty paper.

"We're supposed to copy the format of one of the romantic poems we just read. Same amount of lines and words, but it also needs the elements, you know man and nature?" Raina showed her own, already completed poem, talking about wolves.

"Oh right." Still slightly focused on the dream from the night before and her love of horses, Kat quickly wrote a poem, barely finishing before the bell, signaling the end of school.

_**Freedom**_

_**Like a midnight sky,**_

_**Galloping hooves echo as he runs,**_

_**The stallion holds his head high,**_

_**He knows he is beautiful.**_

_**No bridle adorns his head,**_

_**No saddle weighs upon his back,**_

_**No fences to hold him in,**_

_**Nothing to stop him.**_

_**He hesitates, stopping his mad dash,**_

_**A human, a man with a rope,**_

_**The man speaks softly,**_

_**Attempting to draw him near.**_

_**The stallion rears and trumpets,**_

_**He knows better than to come,**_

_**Off he goes, running anew,**_

_**Without freedom, he could not live.**_

At least she only went to school half the day as a senior, but she could barely drive home and when she got home she fell upon her bed, exhausted. She felt like she hadn't slept the night before at all. Today was her day off so she had the afternoon to herself, until dinner time. I'll just take a little nap before dinner, she thought. Ten minutes later she drifted off, wondering if she would dream again of Hyrule.  


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DaringFlame: Woohoo, new chapter for this story that I haven't worked on in months. I feel proud, especially when chapter 3 is almost done, just needs a little editing, then I'll post it. I like foreshadowing and this chapter has a lot of it. I know the dialogue or the scene isn't really with the game.(I really haven't played the game in years) But thats just to emphasize my point that Kat hasn't played in a long time so she won't be a know-it-all. And well since she is an addition to the story that would mean that things wouldn't be the same anyway. I haven't totally decided how I'm going to do the temples, so any suggestions would be great.


	3. Chapter 3

DaringFlame: Sorry about the delay, this chapter has been almost finished for almost a month now, but Yay I finished my summer classes, though I've still got exams. And college is just barely getting started... but so far its been way easier than I expected and I feel like I suddenly have all this free time, which I may use to write if I still get some reviews for this story. Cause I'm curious to know how this story will turn out, I'd love to continue so if I get just one review I will get out a new chapter... in no later than a month, but then that also depends on when I get a review so please review and tell me what you think or what needs work. Thanks and enjoy.

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Kat was standing at the top of a hill. She looked down at herself and found she was still in the clothes she had worn to school, jeans and a black Hard Rock Café t-shirt. "I must be dreaming again. This is Hyrule field." Despite the green grass and flowers, everything seemed so gloomy. It must have been morning, but the sky was red and in the distance, she could see a mountain with a cloud surrounding it, reminding Kat of a volcano. The castle was the most depressing view of the scene. Hyrule Castle had always seemed so cheerful to her, when she saw it in the games when Link was a child. Now it must be after Ganondorf took control, except it seems even worst now. The air smelled foul, like heavy pollution was weighing on it.

Kat walked down the hill, cautiously. It had been so long since she played the game, she couldn't remember if things came up during the day.

As if in answer a Poe appeared in front of her cackling. Kat screamed and fell backwards on the trail. The Poe started to spin. Knowing it was going to hit her, Kat closed her eyes and waited for impact. Instead she heard the sound of clanging metal.

She opened her eyes to see a young man with blond hair clad in green wielding a sword and shield. The Poe was backing away from him shaking its hands. He sliced at it once, missed the Poe, then sheathed his sword, letting the Poe go.

"Miss, are you okay?" The young man held out a hand to Kat to help her up and she got a good look at him as she took it. It was Link after the seven years. She could see his long, pointed ears and his bright blue eyes were just like in the games. His long blond bangs flopped over his eyes and she had the sudden urge to push it away, but resisted.

"Yes, thank you. It just surprised me." She dusted off her jeans, then looked quickly around her to make sure no other creatures were around. Her voice was steady, but inside she was shaking at the thought of what would have happened if Link hadn't appeared. She hated to appear scared, her friend Chris always said she looked like she was going to kick someone's butt, but she was weaponless and out in the open in a pretty scary time in Hyrule.

"What is your name?" Link seemed to be studying her and she supposed that was because of her strange clothes. Jeans and t-shirts probably didn't exist in Hyrule.

"Katalina Johnson, but everybody calls me Kat."

"I am Link. I was just about to Kakariko Village. Do you know where you are going?"

"I'm kinda lost actually. Unless you know where Texas is?"

"Texas? What is that? You are in the land of Hyrule."

"Um…never mind. Do you think I could go with you to the village?" This dream wasn't make sense. Usually when she had totally weird dreams that came in a theme, they still had common elements. This dream had Hyrule, but Link didn't seem to know her at all. Well, she was older than in her last dream, she must have been about 10 in that one, so maybe he just didn't recognize her. Her mind was story like sometimes in her dreams.

"I wouldn't want to leave you out here. Hyrule has changed a lot in the last few years and its dangerous for a lady to be out alone. If we get going now we should make it there by nightfall." Link turned in the direction of the village and began walking. Kat had nothing else to do, but follow and think.

By nightfall! When was this dream going to end, Kat wondered as they had been walking already for about an hour. She pinched herself, trying to wake herself up, but nothing happened. She was still in Hyrule. It was really beginning to seem like she wasn't in a dream anymore. Her legs were beginning to feel the walk since Link had a long stride, she had towalk faster to keep up with him.

"So Link what exactly is going on in Hyrule. You mentioned that it has gotten more dangerous." Link had barely said a word in there few hours of walking and to Kat it was awkward, so she came up with the only thing she'd gotten from him in the time she had met him, well in person that is.

"Well I actually really don't know yet. I've been asleep and since then a lot seems to have happened." Link looked solemn, thinking of the undead who tried to attack him when he left the Temple of Time. The streets had been torn up and there was no one around. He hoped to find answers in Kakariko. That man Sheik had thought it would be useful, but he wondered what was needed in the graveyard.

"So like Sleeping Beauty?" Oops, another reference to where she was from. Until she knew more about where she was Kat thought she probably should keep the references to a minimum.

"Sleeping Beauty? Who is that?" Link stopped walking and gave Kat a questioning look. Another reason to stop thinking of things from home; Hylians have no idea what you're talking about, and then you have to explain.

"It's a fairy tale, that my mom used to read me."

"A fairy tale!" A white glow flew out of Link's hat suddenly and into Kat's face. "Why don't I know about this. I'm a fairy!"

"Oh Kat, meet Navi. Navi, this is Kat."

"Did you forget about me Link?" Navi turned from Kat to Link and her glow flickered in anger.

"I,I..of course not, Navi." Link looked at a loss for words, because as Navi thought he really had. Usually she was always floating by his side, but when he had fought the Poe and met Kat, Navi had stayed hidden in his hat, so…he forgot.

"Hey Navi, how about I tell you the story of Sleeping Beauty?" Kat having watched the exchange with interest, decided to help Link out.

Grateful, he smiled at her and said, "How about we stop and rest here, and you can tell us the story?" Link sat down on the grass and leaned against a rock. Kat followed suit, her sore legs almost collapsing as she stretched out on the grass. She wasn't one to complain if no one else was, but it had been a long time since she had walked so many hours straight.

Fifteen minutes later they were on their way again, with Navi chattering happily about how she would tell the other fairies about the fairy tales. Link and Kat looked at each other and grimaced.

"Oops, guess I shouldn't have told her a fairy tale," said Kat softly, hoping that Navi wouldn't hear. Thankfully, she was still chattering away.

"Don't worry, she'll shut up in about an hour and then we'll get to Kakariko just in time for her to be quiet." Link grinned, looking straight ahead.

"In an hour!" Kat looked where Link was looking and then saw the bridge. A bridge meant Kakariko wasn't that far. She remembered that much. Kat's fear from the Poe had since left and she felt like she had known Link all her life. She was beginning to feel like her usual self again, not the depressed feeling after watching Ganondorf charge Link in her dream, but a sarcastic and very playful Kat. "Liar! I'll race you from the bridge to the entrance! Last one is a rotten egg." Kat took off running, not even looking at Link to see if he agreed. She heard the clank of metal behind her a second later and knew he was coming.

"Hey! No fair! You don't have a shield or sword to carry!" Link sprinted after Kat to try and catch up. His new longer legs as an adult, easily catching up to her despite the weight.

Together they raced toward the entrance, both enjoying a break from the atmosphere around them as they entered, laughing as they tied.


	4. Chapter 4

The moment was ruined though as they entered to find Kakariko Village changed from before. No longer were there children playing outside at the entrance. The cheerful music Kat remembered from the game was gone, replaced by a haunting sound.

Link's face was pale as he led the way farther into the village, stopping at a large house. "You should be able to rest here." A large friendly woman approached him when he opened the door.

"Have a seat, have a seat. Dinner's almost ready." Kat sat down as her stomach growled. They hadn't eaten all day.

"Oh, you poor dear. There are some clothes in that trunk over there. Your clothes are unusual, you must have traveled far to come here. Terrible time to come," she muttered then turned back to her cooking.

"I have to go do something, but I should be back in a few hours." Link had sat down also when Kat did, but now he stood up and stretched.

"What about dinner?"

"Save me something." Kat watched him leave wondering what he was about to do. She couldn't remember what there was to do first in the game after the seven years.

While waiting for the food, Kat wandered over to the trunk and looked through the clothes. After traveling all day it would be nice to have some new clothes and hopefully something less conspicuous. As much as she loved her jeans, they didn't really fit in with the attire of the time.

She rummaged through looking for something comfortable and versatile. She didn't want a dress in case she ended up traveling more, a dress would not be fun, and well she never really cared for dresses unless she was going to homecoming or the prom. Finally she found something that interested her. It was a similar tunic outfit to what Link wore, but apparently had been made for a woman and just so happened to be in her favorite color, turquoise. Kat wondered who might have worn the outfit as it fit her perfectly. She didn't have time to ponder over it as the food was ready and she eagerly dug in to a stew filled with meat and vegetables.

"This is wonderful. Thank you for your kindness."

"Oh you're welcome, dear. When Impa moved in the castle, she opened up her house for travelers like you and that young man you came with. When you're done there is a bed ready in the corner." The woman pointed to a corner where there was an empty bed

She was still exhausted after the long walk and with her now full stomach, the bed looked so inviting, and she wanted to just lay down and go to sleep, but then she remembered Link. "Um…What about some food for Link, the guy who was here with me?"

"Go ahead and rest, dear. I will make sure there is something when he comes back."

"Thank you." Usually she could be up for at least a half hour before falling asleep, but this time as soon as her head hit the pillow, she quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

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Sorry its been so long since I last updated. Over a year actually, but I'm finally feeling up to writing now, even posted a new story and I'm working on updating all my stories. This chapter si real short, but I am going to begin working on the next chapter and I'm hoping to start a monthly update for all my stories unless the writer's block hits or I become too much of a perfectionist like this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

It was already light out when Kat awoke the next morning. She had no sense of time in Hyrule with no watch or cell phone and she'd never learned how to tell time from the sun. All she knew was that it was morning and she felt well rested. It had been peaceful and quiet within Impa's house.

"Oh you're awake. Did you sleep okay?" Link was sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"I did, better than I have in a long time." Her father was retired and he would watch television late into the night, with surround sound, she could never get much sleep until he finally turned it off. That was something that she definitely would not miss while in Hyrule. She didn't even care about the lack of electronics, other than video games she wasn't that big on having the latest gadgets. She missed Raina though. Raina would get a kick out of being in the Ocarina of Time and Kat wished she had someone to tell about what had happened so far.

"That's good. I'm used to getting to sleep late and waking up early. I used to have bad dreams so I didn't sleep much and then when I began my quest sleep just wasn't a priority anymore. Being asleep for seven years can also make you not want to sleep anymore. Yesterday was exhausting though, so I think I slept better than ever too. Who knew the old man could move so fast."

"Oh, what old man?"

"The grave keeper…well his ghost, actually. He made me race him in order to get this." Link pulled out what Kat recognized as the hookshot. "It must be useful, but I'm not sure for what yet."

"I think it'll come in handy for those hard to reach places." Kat hoped she could encourage him, without revealing too much. She directed Link when she played the game, but she had no idea what he was like as a person. So far it appeared, he definitely wasn't stupid, since he figured out how to obtain the hookshot on his own. "Have you tried it out yet?"

"Not yet. Would you like to come with me? I wonder if I could get on the roofs of houses."

"Maybe and who knows what you might find on the roof. Let's try it. I've always wanted to try out a hookshot." Once outside, she pointed at a roof across from them. "That seems like a good place to try it, go ahead."

Link aimed the hookshot and suddenly he was flying toward the roof, but he landed easily on his feet upon the roof. "That was fun!" He jumped down from the roof, put an arm around Kat's waist and shot it again. She let out a little scream at first at the sudden sensation of being airborne, but as they touched down upon the roof, she grinned. "That was awesome! Let's do it again!"

Link grinned back, then frowned. "I'd like to, but something Sheik said is bothering me. He mentioned a forest temple and a girl I know. I'm sure he means Saria and I'm afraid she is in trouble."

"Then let's go find her. We'll get plenty of time to use the hookshot on your quest, maybe not so much for fun, but I'm sure we'll get to use it. You're worried about your friend and I would be too by what I've seen in the time I've been here in Hyrule."

"It's better I go alone, these are dangerous times and I wouldn't want you to get hurt trying to help."

"I can help. I know how to use a bow. If we could find one then I could really help you. I'm good with puzzles and figuring things out too. Besides I'm a stranger here. I think I'm better off trying to get rid of the evil, then waiting around for it to come get me."

"I suppose I could use some help and it does get lonely. We'll need to at least get you a dagger until we can find a bow, though, and I think we should stop by Lon Lon Ranch. I may be able to convince Talon to lend us some horses. It will be much quicker as we'll be traveling a lot." Link jumped off the roof on to a balcony, then offered his hand to Kat. She took it and he helped her down to the ground.

"Come on, there's a few shops on the other side of the village. Hopefully we can find some kind of weapon and get supplies."


	6. Chapter 6

Twenty minutes later they were again on the road, this time heading toward Lon Lon Ranch in the middle of Hyrule field. Kat held a shiny new dagger in her hand, wondering if she could really use it. On her hip, another dagger rested. They were long, reminding her of the kind of sais that Elektra carries. She always thought they were the most awesome weapons, but she was almost afraid to use them, since she'd never used anything like them before. She'd pretended to fight with a sword when she was younger, but to actually have to fight and try to keep from dying herself was another matter. Would she reset like in the game, return home, or if she died would that be it? She did remember that they would obtain a bow in the forest temple so maybe she wouldn't have to use it. She would feel much more comfortable with a bow in her hand and fighting from afar. Her fighting experience consisted of wrestling her older brother, but it probably wouldn't be much good against the creatures of Zelda, few are human.

The walk to Lon Lon Ranch was much quicker than the one from Hyrule Castle to Kakariko Village. Partly, Kat figured was that Link was talking to her much more now. Usually she was reserved with people she just met and he seemed the same way, but she found herself talking to him easily. He explained what he went through before they met, the gathering of the spiritual stones and the rest of what Sheik had said.

"I'm not sure what most of it means, high mountain I assume means Death Mountain and a vast Lake would be Lake Hylia, but house of the dead or goddess of the sand?" Link scratched his head and looked thoughtful. "I made some good friends when I was gathering the spiritual stones. I really hope Darmani and Ruto are okay…and…Saria, she's my best friend."

"More will probably be revealed as we save each temple. If they are in any trouble from what I've learned and seen I'm sure you can save them and you'll have my help."

"It's going to be dangerous. We'll have to get up early…"

"Great," Kat muttered. She hated waking up early.

"…even earlier actually so that I can teach you how to use the daggers."

"Even greater…" Link looked at her as if he'd heard, but then he continued on.

"I've never been inside the temples so I don't know how long it will take us to get through, but hopefully we can do it in a day. I don't feel comfortable sleeping inside. We can rest at my house before we go.

"Here's Lon Lon Ranch. Let's check the stables first. Malon is usually there during the day." She was there sweeping the floor. She stopped and looked up when they entered the stables.

"Hello, mister. If you're interested in buying a horse you'll have to talk to Mr. Ingo. He's the owner of the ranch.

"I am, but Malon don't you remember me?" Link approached Malon and Navi flew out of his hat.

"Oh you're the fairy boy. You're big. I thought those from the forest don't grow up."

"Yes. I'm actually a Hylian. Is everything okay at the ranch Malon?"

"No…it's not," she began sobbing, "Since Ganondorf made himself king, Ingo took over the ranch and drove off father. He makes me do all the work, while he just primps and preens trying to make as much money as he can on the horses."

"Why don't you leave? I believe I saw your father in Kakariko Village," said Kat.

"I'm glad father's okay, but I can't. The poor horses and cows and the chickens. Ingo could mistreat them. He was never this way before. I don't know what has come over him."

"We'll see what we can do Malon. We have a quest to complete and we need horses."

"He'll probably challenge you to a race. He has been greedy, taking people's money anyway he can. Epona's the fastest and I remember she liked you. You'll win if you ride her…and you may even be able to get her for free."

"Thanks, Malon. Come on Kat."

Kat followed Link outside and they walked toward the corral. The corral door was closed and Ingo stood beside it. Kat couldn't help, but laugh as she saw his clothes. "He looks so ridiculous in that collar, trying to look high and mighty. You would think he would be somewhat humble after being a stable hand.

"Well, I remember him always muttering before about Talon making him do all the work. Talon did used to fall asleep pretty easily. Hey, how did you know he was a stable hand?"

"Oh…uh…well Malon said her father owned the place so he must have worked for Talon or been related. It was guess."

"Oh yeah that makes sense."

They approached Ingo and he began rubbing his hands together, greedily. "Ah…Have you come to take a look at our fine horses? For ten rupees each you can ride any of the horses."

Link turned to Kat and whispered, "Let me try and get him overconfident to challenge me to a race."

Kat nodded, "I'll just take a look at the other horses and see if there's one I like."

Link pulled out ten rupees from a bag and handed them to Ingo. Ingo grinned and laughed, "Thank you so much."

Ingo opened the gate to the corral and Link walked in. Nearby there was a brown horse with a black mane, already saddled and ready to go, but Link instead took out his ocarina and played a melody. Kat recognized it right away as Epona's Song. She always thought that it was the most beautiful melody in the game, but hearing it in the game was nothing compared to hearing it in person. She heard Epona whinny and the beautiful horse galloped to Link's side.

Kat watched Link mount and take Epona around the corral. He even went over a few jumps with perfect form, he was one with the horse. It had been a long time since Kat had been upon a horse and she looked forward to riding. While Link rode, Kat looked around the corral wondering which horse she would choose. She knew the brown ones would be slow and she would need one that could keep up with Epona. At the back of the corral, there was a black horse with a white star upon its head. She could tell from the way it held its head that it was a proud horse. When Ingo entered the corral it reared up, legs pawing the air and it seemed a minute before touching upon the ground. It reminded her so much of the poem she had written for her class. She would love to ride the black, but would he let her?

Ingo approached Link when his time was up, "You're getting better! How about a little race with me? One lap around the corral with that horse. Let's make a little wager, say 50 rupees?"

"If you're sure you can part with your money." Link taunted Ingo, causing Ingo to fume.

"We'll see about that."

Kat perched on the edge of a jump inside the corral, hands clasped as both horses lined up in front of the gate, the countdown began and both Ingo and Link spurred their horses into a gallop. Ingo kept slapping his horse to get it to go faster, but Link was careful waiting for the right moments to encourage Epona, getting her in the lead when Ingo tried to crowd him into the corral fence and holding it for the rest of the race around the corral.

"Sh-Shooot!" Ingo cried once he got to the finish line. "If the great Ganondorf found out about this humiliation…" Ingo grudgingly handed over the winnings, but then he smiled as Link was about to walk over to Kat, "Hey you! How about another race! If you win…You can keep…the horse!"

"Perfect!" Link readily agreed and mounted Epona once again.

Again the race was close with Ingo trying to crowd Epona, but when Ingo took a wide turn Link quickly urged Epona ahead and won the race a few lengths ahead.

Kat stood up and walked up to Link, "Great job, Link and you too Epona." She stroked the horse's neck and Epona let her, but they all jerked when they heard Ingo yelling.

"Is that Epona? She was wild! Nobody could ride her! How did you tame that wild horse right under my nose? I was going to present that horse to the great Ganondorf… But I bet it on the race and lost! Shoooot!" Suddenly Ingo stopped his whining and began to laugh. When he spoke again his tone was sweet, "As I promised I'll give the horse to you…However…" He grinned, "I'll never let you leave this ranch!" The gates to the ranch closed with a clang, locking them in.

"Quick, pick a horse than follow me." Link stayed upon Epona while Kat looked for the black. The black was still in the corner, but snorted when she approached. She walked toward it slowly, hand outstretched. The stallion stepped forward and nudged her hand.

"Sorry I don't have anything at the moment, but if you let me ride you I'll give you carrots and anything else you want soon as we get out of here and you will no longer have to stay within a corral." The horse seemed to understand and bobbed its head. There was no tack around and she doubted the horse would let her so Kat mounted and then instantly had to grab the horse's mane as the stallion reared and took off, going right for the gate where Ingo was standing, gloating. She felt the stallion prepare for the jump and she held on tight with her legs and prayed she wouldn't fall off, as they soared over the gate.

"Hey! I thought I said to follow me?" Kat opened her eyes, for she had closed them when they went over the gate and found she was now on top of a hill in Hyrule field. Link was next to her on Epona and he frowned in concern, "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I will be once my heart stops pounding. I wasn't expecting that and it has been so long since I've ridden, especially bareback so it freaked me out a little, but…" She stroked the horse, "Thank you."

Navi appeared from Link's hat. "Now can we go see Saria now. I'm really worried."

Link kicked Epona into a gallop. "Me too."

The stallion followed the mare, causing Kat to once again fall against his neck and hold on for dear life. "Please give me some notice next time."


	7. Chapter 7

At the entrance to the Kokiri forest, Kat and Link dismounted. Kat turned to the black horse, and held out a carrot Link had given her. "Thank you, again. Will you come if I need you?"

The majestic horse grabbed the carrot, after chewing it, bobbed its head and Kat took that to mean yes. The horse then wheeled around, and took off. Epona, after eating her own carrot soon followed.

"Do you think they really will come?" Link asked.

"I do. He wants freedom, but he has also known the gentleness of human touch, so I think he will return or at least he will for the carrots. Epona, I think she has attached herself to you, that song you played on the ocarina seems to draw her. It's a beautiful song."

"It did. I'm glad Malon had taught it to me. I hope Malon will be okay now that Ingo has been put in his place. Right now I'm more worried about Saria since she is in danger, but I hope we can stop by later before we go to Death Mountain. For now let's see what you can do with those daggers and then we should rest before we head to the temple. There's an area we can practice within the Kokiri Village."

Kat followed Link over the bridge and into Kokiri Village. Immediately Link jumped back in front of Kat and pulled out his sword as a deku baba tried to grab him. Kat stepped aside out of range as Link ran and rolled, then cleanly sliced its head off with his sword.

"There's never been deku babas within the village before. In the forest yes, but in the village it has always been so peaceful. Stay here, while I check on the rest of the village."

Kat hated being told what to do, but she really didn't think she had the skill to kill the monsters in the village so she stayed. She watched as Link quickly dispatched the rest of the monsters. He was so graceful, the way he leaped and rolled avoiding the monsters attacks, before going on the offensive and killing them. Link returned to Kat's side once they were all dispatched and he had talked to a few of the Kokiri that had watched.

"None of them recognized me. I guess I really have grown up. I really never belonged here and now even more so. The Kokiri don't grow up, they stay childlike, but live for hundreds of years. Saria was the only one that treated me as a friend, everyone else was distant and seemed to realize that I didn't belong."

"Oh, Link I'm so sorry to hear that. I know what it feels like to not belong." Moving schools in the middle of a school year had made her a complete outsider in the new school. It was a few years before she met Raina and her now close knit group of friends. They had all been teenagers forced to move by their parents causing them to bond. "You have me now. I may not be Hylian, but we are similar."

"You're not Hylian? But your ears are like my own and you don't have the red eyes of a Sheikah so what other race could you be?"

"My ears?" Kat clamped both hands to the sides of her head, expecting to feel the round tips of her ears, her ears seemed to keep going and then she felt the pointy tip. She gasped, then ran over to the small lake in the Kokiri Village and dropped to her knees. Reflected in the water was not what she was expecting. It was her same face, except for maybe being more tanned than last time as she tanned very easily and had been out in the sun several hours. There were the same amber colored eyes, same dark brown hair, but her ears! Her hair was down, but her ears were now long and pointy, sticking out from her, exactly like Link's. "What is going on?" Kat found tears springing to her eyes. "Something's not right. I haven't looked in a mirror since I got here." She turned to Link, who looked startled to see the tears. "How long have my ears been like this?"

"Uh…since I first saw you in Hyrule field. Is something wrong?"

"I…I don't know." She sat down heavily in the grass and stared at her reflection. Link sat down next to her and kept silent. After a few minutes of silence, Kat stood up. "I'm not going to worry about this right now. You have to train me, remember? Saria's in danger."

"Right, but if you're not okay, we can wait a little while." Link stood up and looked in her eyes, searching for any sign of what she was thinking.

"No. We don't want to keep Saria waiting. We need to get as much training in today as possible." Kat turned her back to Link and began walking toward the training ground. After a moment's hesitation, Link followed.

Kat began to stretch, touching her toes, then twisting to loosen up. Link joined her following her stretches, then showed her a few more. After that Kat unsheathed her daggers. "Put them away. First let's work on some hand to hand combat, rolls, and other ways of just avoiding your opponent. Since you are planning to use a bow later, this will be doubly useful as it will allow you to keep those who try to get close away."

For a ten year old stuck in a man's body, Link was a slave driver when it came to training. After just an hour of rolling on the ground and getting hit when she couldn't avoid Link's punches, Kat was already feeling sore. "Just one more hour. You're doing well for being new to all this, but it's time we start working with your daggers."

"I thought you were fun." Kat unsheathed her daggers and swung them a few times to gauge the weight.

"Oh this will be fun. Try and hit me." Link unsheathed his sword with his left hand and held his shield in his right.

"Gladly." Kat advanced and swung her swords, one she aimed for Link's stomach, the other for his neck. Both hit sword and shield with a clang and Link pushed her back with his shield.

"Nope. You'll have to try harder than that."

"Have you ever tried fighting with two blades at the same time?"

"Nope." Link was cheerful and didn't look winded at all from their training. He swung his sword and Kat quickly brought her daggers in an X like she'd seen in movies when they wielded two weapons. Victory was short as Link being taller and stronger pushed down on her and soon she found herself on the ground with a sword pointed at her neck.

An avid dancer, Kat could be quick when she needed to be and now as Link raised his sword to let her up, she swiftly kicked his feet out from under him, used one dagger to send his sword flying and while he was still surprised, she straddled him as he lay on his back and held her other dagger to his throat. "How was that?"

"Not bad at all."

Kat raised her dagger and before she knew it she was lying on her back with her arms pinned to the ground. "Using my moves against me now are you?" She grinned.

"Just a little payback." Link's face was inches from hers. If he leaned down just a little more he could have kissed her, but then he realized the position he was in. He had only met her yesterday. Blushing he stood up and held out his hand to Kat.

"Let's try again. No more playing. I think for you, depending on your opponent, it's better that you try and avoid, rather than trying to block."

"Okay." Kat let him pull her up, then retrieved her dropped dagger.

They continued sparring until it became too dark to see. Kat still wasn't completely comfortable with the daggers, but she felt she could hold her own against some of the monsters in the dungeons. The more intelligent ones could be a problem, though.

Inside Link's house, Kat looked around hoping another bed would magically appear in the house. "Go ahead and take the bed. I'm used to sleeping in uncomfortable places. The floor will suit me just fine." Link sat on a chair and began removing his boots.

"If you're sure." Kat sat on the bed and found it was actually quite comfortable.

"I'm sure and I think you'll need it or you'll be extra sore tomorrow." Link finished removing his boots, lay down on the rug by his bed. "Goodnight Kat."

"Goodnight." Kat removed her own boots and gingerly laid out on the bed, careful of her bruises. After finding a comfortable position, sleep once again came to her quickly in Hyrule.

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**So after updates yearly before I am going to attempt to do weekly updates from now on, most likely on Sundays. Next chapter finally begins the first temple.**


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